Over 150 Lone Workers Attacked Every Day

Should you be going to work and worrying about your own personal safety? The simple answer to this question is no. Unfortunately the statistics that were released by the British Crime Survey show that more than 150 people working on their own in the UK are being attacked on a daily basis.

Many of us work in the comfort of an office or with colleagues every day, safe in the knowledge that if anything was to happen to us, there would be others to help or call the emergency services. But what about the ones who work alone? Who protects them from the dangers that they might face in their working environment?

Who are lone workers?

Lone workers are spread throughout many different industries such as; security, social care, housing and construction. Even someone who works from home is considered to be a ‘lone worker’. The risks that are involved in the specific role of the lone worker have to be established and hazards identified. Hazards such as; sudden illness, first aid provisions and personal safety against violence are just a few examples.

The Health and Safety Executive have laid out simple guidelines for employers of lone workers to follow through the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Employers have a duty to assess risks to lone workers and take steps to avoid or control risks where necessary.

For many employers, the correct training and procedures are put in place to ensure the safety of all their lone working staff. Lone worker training is extremely important for staff to ensure that they are aware of exactly what to do when they find themselves in an emergency situation. Lone worker training covers subjects such as; basic personal safety, assessing risks, personal safety solutions, tips to avoid conflict and much more. These courses are available through our online training partner Right Track Training.

As well as adequate training, many employers are using technology such as panic buttons and ‘man down solutions’ for staff to use in an emergency. Thanks to advances in mobile phone technology, these systems are now available through mobile apps. There are many of these Lone Worker Mobile Phone Apps available on the market that offer employers the opportunity to monitor the safety of each of their lone working employees.

The award winning WebeyeSOS Lone Worker mobile phone app has been influential in ensuring the personal safety of lone workers around the world. As well as working as a dedicated SOS panic button, the WebeyeSOS features also include; GPS tracking systems, voice recording, shake activation and will send instant SMS and emails on activations to employers, the app can also be connected directly to dedicated security monitoring stations who can respond instantly to any alert.

As well as being used in many countries by security personnel, the WebeyeSOS App is now being used in other lone worker industries like social care and housing, construction and civil engineering. The affordable system allows employers to ensure personal safety of their staff as well as piece of mind for their wellbeing. TheWebeyeSOS platform boasts awards such as; the Global 100 Best Cloud Security Software Award 2017, USA Today Best Cloud Security Software Award 2018 and was cited as “one of the most innovative and outstanding businesses incorporating best practice in the security sector in 2017” in the Parliamentary Review.

When it comes to the personal safety of anyone’s staff and colleagues, can you put a price on it? As well as being one of the best mobile security lone worker mobile phone apps, WebeyeSOS is also one of the most affordable. Prices from just £4 per month per user really does show that cost should not be an issue when it comes to staff safety.